The Relative Date of Ockham's Commentary on the Sentences

THE RELATIVE DATE OF OCKHAM'S COMMENTARY ON THE SENTENCES* A study on Ockham coming from the pen of L. Baudry always carries the weight of authority. The present volume is intended as a comprehensive study of Ockham's life and works. A second volume, yet to be published, will be devoted to the social and political ideas of Ockham. Combining the biographical and bibliographical data at the expense of a clear systematical exposition, Baudry follows Ockham's life step by step, first setting the historical background and milieu in which Ockham lived and the circumstances under which he wrote his works. Then this great pioneer in Ockham research weaves into the biographical account, a discussion of the works of the Venerabilis Inceptor. Thus the work falls naturally into three main chapters: Ockham at Oxford (the philosopher and theologian), Ockham at Avignon (the ally of Michael of Cesena), Ockham at Munich (in the service of Louis the Bavarian). Baudry's account of the life and the works of Oqkham understandably contains some lacunae, as well as many interesting hypotheses and constructions . Occasionally his explanations, in the opinion of this reviewer , are too ingenious. But even Baudry's errors are usually of such a nature as to provoke a serious re-examination of the data in question, for he seldom advances a theory without some basis in the manuscript tradition with which he shows a rare familiarity. Though the present reviewer does not always agree with this excellent scholar, he has, nevertheless , learned much from him and before starting a discussion of these differences, he would like to make it clear that Baudry's theories are a far cry from that type of fiction with which Ockham literature still abounds. It will be impossible to do justice to all of Baudry's arguments in this review. Since we hope to take up the question of the text tradition of the works of Ockham on purely philosophical and theological problems in a comprehensive study that will appear in the Franciscan Studies, here only a few points will be mentioned, viz., mainly those on which Baudry explicitly disagrees with the present reviewer. In the list of authentic works of Ockham, Baudry (p. 285) still enumerates under no. XIV, De quantitate in se. (Munich 276). Through our friend Hochstetter, we have received photostats of this manuscript *Léon Baudry, Guillaume d'Occam. Sa vie, ses oeuvres, ses idées sociales et politiques. Tome 1. L'homme et les oeuvres. ("Etudes de Philosophie Médiévale," Directeur: Etienne Gilson, de l'Académie Française, t. XXXIX) (Paris: Vrin, 1950), 316 pp. G 305 1 [306] THE DATE OF OCKHAM'S COMMENTARY ON THE SENTENCES which prove that these two chapters are the same as chapters 44 and 45 of the edition of the Summa Logicae part I. Hence it is not a special work of Ockham. Fragments of parts of the Summa Logicae (and for that matter of other works of Ockham) quite frequently appear in manuscripts . Adam Wodham, in consequence, is not referring to this fragment , when he writes: "Ockham in libro 4° sententiarum et in utroque tractatu de quantitate," but he has in mind the two tracts on the Holy Eucharist. Under Ouvrages douteux, no. ?, Baudrv lists the Compendium logicae (Munich 1060), which he suggests, at least, is to be found also in Assisi 690. We have made a thorough study of these two manuscripts. Munich 1060 contains an Elementarium logicae or a Tractatus médius; Assisi 690 contains a Tractatus minor logicae. Both are distinct, but related; both are ascribed to Ockham (the Munich ms. is written 1348). We were unable to discover any serious reason against the authenticity of these two tracts. Hence, we have to abide by the explicit testimony of the manuscripts. My former statement that Ockham's purely philosophical and theological writings had been composed before his arrival in Munich, probably needs a revision, since it is not only possible, but probable, that these two tracts were composed in Munich. The main differences between Baudry and the present reviewer concerning the works of Ockham is the chronological order of the nonpolitical works. Unfortunately, Baudry had completed his...